Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children ages 6 through 18 with mentors in professionally supported one-to-one relationships. HWS runs two versions of this program. First, community-based mentoring in which Bigs and Littles meet for an hour a week in their community to share fun activities, stories and a little bit of themselves. Second, school-based mentoring matches Bigs with their very own middle school "Little". Activities are planned between 2 and 5 p.m. once a week, including field trips and group activities. The focus is on the environment, and projects include restoring wetlands, building habitats, netting birds and working on conservation efforts. For more information please contact hmills@bbbsr.org.
Hobart and William Smith are members of Campus Compact, an association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that promotes the public purpose of higher education through civic engagement, community service and service-learning. It provides rich resources for faculty and administrators in these areas as well as networking opportunities for students. It also sponsors various honors and awards for students and faculty at member institutions, including the Swearer Award, given to students for their outstanding community and public service. HWS was a founding member of the NY Campus Compact in 2001. President Gearan served as co-chair of the first NYCC executive committee for New York Campus Compact, and Ave Bauder currently serves on the advisory committee. Additionally, President Gearan has served as chair of the National Campus Compact.
The purpose of the Civic Discourse Form is to provide an opportunity for students and other community members to discuss topics as well as help develop skills that are pertinent to our lives as engaged citizens. Speakers and workshops are scheduled over the course of the year. The Forum was inaugurated in the Fall of 2007 with a discussion about the concept of national community service outlined in the September 10, 2007 issue of Time with Chris Myers Asch, one of the founders of the concept of a US Public Service Academy. Other speakers/events in the Fall of 2007 included Dr. Daphne Evans from Trinity College, Wales on Health and Social Care Policy in Wales and a visit by the Project Vote Smart bus giving students an opportunity to research the voting records of their representatives.
The Civic Leadership Speakers Forum is intended to bring to campus individuals, particularly graduates of the Colleges, who are making positive contributions to the public good in a variety of fields. The intent is to give our students an opportunity to meet people who are living lives of consequence. Topics for the inaugural year of the program include the environment, children, international issues, poverty, women’s issues and gay rights.
As part of the series, a lecture given by Alan Van Capelle, executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda, is available for download in MP3 format.
Civic participation on boards of not-for-profits is critical to the functioning of our society and an important component of engaged citizenship. This program gives our students an opportunity to see how an agency governing board functions by serving on one during college. Interested students are given training on “Board Basics” and then placed on boards that request an HWS student. Some of these are the Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce, the Geneva Boys and Girls Club, the Geneva Public Library, Success for Geneva’s Children and the United Way of Ontario County.
For two months out of the school year, the Colleges’ community is in charge of Thursdays with the local community "soup kitchen." Students, sometimes with the help of faculty and staff, plan, prepare, and serve lunch to those in need in the Geneva area, as well as spend time with them over the meal. Students can and do volunteer at other times as well. This is a very popular service and new volunteers are always welcome. For more information, contact Ave Bauder, director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning. At the 2007 Commencement, Marge Shanahan, was given an Honorary Degree for managing and directing this program for over ten years as well as her dedication to service and her commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people of Geneva.
Community Service House, located at 737 South Main St., is a student cooperative house where the residents have pledged to volunteer weekly with various community agencies as well as sponsor all-campus community service events. These students serve as a resource to other students and clubs on campus and take a major role in Day of Service. The house also serves as a host site for public service activities such as the fireside chats with President Gearan, Day of Service meetings and Red Cross trainings. To learn more about the house, visit the Office of Residential Education. To learn more about applying to live in the house, consult housing lottery information.
First Book-Geneva is part of a national organization whose mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Our Campus Advisory Board (CAB) has several tasks, which include fundraising, granting books to local organizations and raising awareness about illiteracy issues in the community. Since its inception in 2005, First Book-Geneva has granted thousands of books to children in and around Geneva. Please visit First Book-Geneva's Web site for more information about the organization or email geneva_ny@firstbook.org for upcoming meetings and events. Check out the First Book Geneva promotional video, "What Book Got You Hooked?"
Since the fall of 2000, the entering classes at HWS have participated in a service-learning project during Orientation. Over the summer, each student receives a reading that focuses on an aspect of civic engagement and making connections outside the classroom. In recent years this reading has been the first chapter of The Cathedral Within by Bill Shore. Students then participate in community service at over 40 locations around Geneva. Upon returning to campus, after a brief address by one of the Colleges' faculty concerning the role of public service and active citizenship in a liberal arts education, the students reflect on the activity in their orientation groups with either a faculty member or their orientation leader. This discussion draws together the reading, address, and service experience. Students gain an appreciation for the emphasis placed on community engagement here, experience the connection made between service and learning and get better acquainted with the community. Check out photos from the 2007 project.
An eight-week service and leadership program for approximately 20-25 Middle School students created, staffed, and run by Hobart and William Smith students. HWS students recruit participants from the local middle school and then lead them in teambuilding, leadership, and service activities. In past years the Corps participated in a day of Project Adventure leadership and teambuilding exercises, assisted in unearthing and righting headstones in historic Washington Street Cemetery, stripped and waxed floors at the Geneva Food Pantry, raked leaves with President Gearan for elderly citizens as part of the public service project during inauguration weekend, cleaned and landscaped at Lakeview Mental Health, cleaned and moved furniture at the Boys and Girls Club, and participated in activities with the residents of Seneca Terrace assisted living center.
With support from the Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning, students initiated and completed the process to form a campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The group regularly helps in the building of houses with the Yates and Ontario County Habitat affiliates. Since its inception, the group has worked to raise money for an “HWS House” in Geneva. Contact habitat@hws.edu or Ave Bauder for more information on how to become involved.
A non-denominational, non-profit, national organization that gives teddy bears to children in need. In its first year, Hugs raised over $600, allowing them to buy about 75 bears. The bears have been distributed to various local agencies such as the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center, American Red Cross of the Finger Lakes, Catholic Charities and Family Counseling Services of the Finger Lakes. For more information please contact Steph Wells at Stephanie.wells@hws.edu or visit the homepage for Geneva's Hugs Across America chapter.
Jumpstart is a national non-profit organization that engages young people in service to work toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Hobart and William Smith has been a Jumpstart site since the fall of 2002, chosen from more than 200 institutions expressing interest that year. Jumpstart recruits, trains, and supports college students to serve as part-time AmeriCorps members, working directly with and supporting young children in Head Start and other early childhood education programs. Jumpstart focuses on building school success for young children by developing their early language, literacy, and social skills; encouraging strong family involvement to help families support children's learning; and training college students to be future teachers and leaders in early childhood education. Upon successful completion of the year, HWS students receive a $1,000 AmeriCorps education award. This award is matched by HWS for a total of $2,000 toward tuition for First Years, Sophomores and Juniors. In addition, students also receive a full academic credit by participating in a Reader’s College course with an HWS faculty member. Contact Paul McNeil or to apply online visit www.jstart.org for information.
Periodically, staff of the Center lead a Readers College class that is related to Civic Engagement and Engaged Citizenship. Sometimes these have a service component, but not necessarily. Classes have included Reflections on Katrina in conjunction with service trips to New Orleans and Benjamin Franklin and Democracy’s Values. The Alternative Spring Break trip to North Carolina has worked collaboratively with the Education Dept on a class which typically includes reading a book related to rural poverty or public education, meeting weekly before the trip for group discussions, guided reflection each evening while on the trip, and completing a 3-5 page paper within 2 weeks of returning.
As part of the Compass program, each entering class at HWS will be asked to identify a cause or issue it would like to address to produce a meaningful change over the course of their four years at the Colleges. Before they arrive on campus incoming students will receive a survey asking the “What Do You Stand For?” A steering committee is then formed to work with the staff of the Center to operationalize the “cause” in order to effect a meaningful change on the issue. The inaugural year of WDYSF was with the Classes of 2011. An innovative partnership was formed between the HWS Classes of 2011 and the GHS Class of 2011. Student representatives from the classes brainstormed and collaboratively established the “Local to Global” initiative. L2G is a creative way for the HWS and GHS students to select an organization or social injustice and work to address it. During the 2007-2008 academic year, they will remain local. During the 2008-2009 year, the classes will work on a regional or statewide issue, then during their junior year they’ll combine resources and talent on a national issue, and finally during their senior year they will look internationally.